The Dawn of Man - 2001: A Space Odyssey

If one were to name the most significant films of the twentieth century, 2001: A Space Odyssey would surely be among the top ten. And of all the most iconic scenes in any film of any era or genre, "The Dawn of Man" sequence would likely be among the top ten as well. This absolutley brilliant piece was conceived by Stanley Kubrick (in collaboration with Arthur C. Clark) and depicts the moment that primitive ape-like man (Australopithecus possibly) transcends his species via a spark of intelligence - triggered by the Monolith. The alpha primate smashing the tapir bones was credited as "Moon-Watcher" and was played by Daniel Richter in an incredibly realistic ape-suit that was decades ahead of its time. I actually think this live action sequence with its inventive visual effects is far superior in quality and verisimilitude than most of today's CGI generated animation. In sculpting this scene, I paid homage to Kubrick's work and kept the anatomical proportions consistent with a homo sapiens in an ape suit. My thanks again to the Ceramic Art Studio and Shop.